Modelo de desenvolvimento neoextrativista latino-americano: um olhar biofísico para o comércio exterior do Brasil e das regiões brasileiras (1997-2019)

Abstract

This dissertation aims to outline the profile of the biophysical trade balance of Brazil and the Brazilian regions between 1997 and 2019 and to analyze them in the Latin American neoextractive context, with emphasis on the socio-environmental impacts of this development process. The methodological tool of sociometabolism is used, that is, counting the flows of matter and energy (Material and Energy Flow Analysis -MEFA). Biophysical exports and imports were divided by product categories (biomass, metallic ores, non-metallic minerals, fossil fuels and other products) and by aggregate factor (basic, manufactured and semimanufactured). The results show that Brazil is characterized by biophysical exports of metal ore products (North and Southeast) and biomass products (Northeast, Midwest and South) with a low level of technological sophistication (basic); and for imports of fossil fuel products (North, Northeast and South) and non-metallic minerals (Midwest and South). Imports, in general, consist of industrialized products, with manufactured products standing out in comparison to semimanufactured products. Brazil also has a deficient biophysical trade balance (MX), sending an amount of 7.7 billion tons of materials more than it received in the accumulated period between 1997 and 2019, with 517.2 million tons in the year alone. 2019. The products that drove this biophysical deficit were metallic ores and biomass products. On the other hand, the only region that presented a surplus in the biophysical trade balance was the Northeast, where imports of fossil fuels had a relevant weight. It is also inferred that, in general, there was a drop in the intensity of matter and energy (IME) of exports and imports, indicating the existence of decoupling. However, it was possible to notice that the decoupling occurred in imports surpassed that verified for exports, reinforcing the evidence that Brazil has a negative insertion in international trade, since the increase in the ecological efficiency of the exported products increased at a lower speed than in the United States. imported products. The results corroborate the hypothesis that Brazil is inserted in the context of Latin American neoextractive development and suggest focused actions to mitigate the harmful effects of agricultural activities and related to the extraction of native forest in the Midwest, South and much of the region North, as well as mitigating the harmful effects of mineral extraction activities in the states of Pará (North), Ceará (Northeast), Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo (Southeast). Actions to mitigate the harmful effects of imports of fossil fuels and non-metallic minerals are also necessary, given that environmental impacts occur not only in extraction, but also in the transportation, processing, consumption and disposal of materials.